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Alliance for Local Living

Summary

The Alliance for Local Living (ALL) was a minor localist party and political group based in Dorset, with separate branches in the two authorities, ALL for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and ALL for Dorset. The BCP office was based in Poole, whilst the Dorset office was based in Weymouth.[1] The party was deregistered in November 2023,[2] at which point it had four councillors on Dorset Council, who continued to sit together as an informal grouping.[3]

Alliance for Local Living
Alliance for Local Living Group
AbbreviationALL
Party LeaderFelicity Rice
Group Leader in Dorset CouncilLes Fry
Deputy Group Leader in Dorset CouncilRob Hughes
FoundersMichael Hancock
Felicity Rice
Founded2018
Registered1 April 2019
Merger ofIndependents for Dorset
Three Towns Together
BranchesALL for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
ALL for Dorset
IdeologyLocalism Nonpartisanism
Colours  Turquoise
  Pink
SloganStanding for Better, for All Together
BCP council seats
0 / 76
Dorset Council seats
4 / 82
Website
https://www.voteforall.org.uk/

History edit

Background edit

Prior to 2019, Dorset was divided into three authorities, with Bournemouth and Poole each constituting unitary authorities, with the remainder of the county as a two-tier system, under Dorset County Council. However, in 2017 the government supported plans to reorganise Dorset into two unitary authorities, with the existing unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole to merge with the district of Christchurch, and the remaining districts to form a new Dorset Council.[4] Legislation for this was passed in 2018 by Parliament.[5] Two separate groups, Independents for Dorset and Three Towns Together subsequently formed in the two unitary authorities, with the intention of supporting localist independent candidates. In November 2018, the two groups joined to form the Alliance for Local Living,[6] with the former group ultimately changing its name to ALL for Dorset within ALL.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole edit

In October 2018 founders Felicity Rice and Michael Hancock launched the group as the Alliance for Local Living in preparation of the 2019 Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council election; whilst organising under the banner of ALL, it was planned for candidates to stand as independents, and be free of political whips if elected. Early liaisons were made with the Poole People Party, a similarly localist group founded in 2010 which had councillors as part of Poole district council.[7]

On 1 April 2019, ALL was registered with the electoral commission, with fourteen names and three emblems filed for ballot papers.[8][9] Four candidates were due to stand for ALL in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, but due to the timing of the election and the registration of the party just a month before, two candidates (Michael Hancock for the Parkstone Ward and Martin Smalley for the Alderney & Bourne Valley Ward) stood as independents, with the remaining two (Felicity Rice for the Oakdale Ward and Claire Crescent for the Alderney & Bourne Valley Ward) standing as "Alliance for Local Living Independent Candidate".[10][11][12]

In the 2019 inaugural election for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole only party leader Felicity Rice won a seat in Oakdale ward. Within the BCP Council, ALL Councillor Felicity Rice joined with the then seven Poole People Candidates to form the Poole People and ALL Political Group; this group of eight was joint third-largest, alongside the Christchurch Independents. Subsequently, on 21 May, a Unity Alliance administration took control of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, with a coalition led by the Liberal Democrats comprising the Christchurch Independents group, Poole People, Labour, the Greens, ALL and independents.[13]

However, in 2020, two Poole People councillors left both the party and one left the administration, alongside one Christchurch Independent dying and another leaving the group. As such the Unity Alliance was left without a majority, leading to a vote of no confidence which resulted in a tie due to one abstention.[14] However, subsequently a Liberal Democrat councillor died,[15] and the remaining former-Poole People councillor also left the alliance, leaving it with a minority;[16] a second vote of no confidence was held in September, which passed and thus removed Vikki Slade as leader.[17] A meeting of the council was scheduled for 1 October in order to elect a new leader of the council; Conservative leader on the council Drew Mellor was nominated by his deputy Phillip Broadhead, stating that the council "needed a reset", whilst Christchurch Independent Lesley Dedman nominated Vikki Slade. with Conservative Group Leader Drew Mellor subsequently elected leader of the council, forming a new minority administration. In a secret ballot, Mellor received 40 votes for leader, whilst Slade received 33 votes, with a single abstention, with Mellor duly elected leader of the council. As such, the Alliance for Local Living currently is opposition in BCP Council.

In October 2022, leader Felicity Rice was charged with wilful obstruction of a highway in London while protesting alongside Just Stop Oil.[18] She was re-elected in the 2023 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election as part of the Poole People Party.[19]

Dorset Council edit

In January 2019 a meeting was held in Dorchester to launch the group, which included as a speaker Peter MacFayden, who helped launch Independents for Frome, a similar localist group in Somerset, alongside representatives from the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole ALL and other localist groups.[20] Whilst no candidates stood in Dorset council as ALL Candidates, ALL for Dorset encouraged residents to stand as independent candidates under the joint banner.[21] Sixteen candidates stood for either or both Dorset Council and local Parish elections.[22][23][24] Four independents were ultimately elected to Dorset Council in the 2019 Dorset Council election,[23] subsequently sitting as the Alliance for Local Living Group.[25] Aside from the ALL Councillors, the Conservatives won 43 of the 42 seats required for a majority, with the Liberal Democrats winning 29, the Greens 4, and Labour 2; as such, alongside the Green Party, the Alliance for Local Living Group is the joint third biggest group on the council.

Councillors edit

At the time of its deregistration in November 2023, the party had four councillors on Dorset Council.[26]

Name Ward Notes
Dorset Council[26]
Susan Cocking Portland
Les Fry Dorchester West Vice-chair of Dorset Council Place and Resources Overview Committee
Rob Hughes Portland Vice Chair of Dorset Council Harbours Committee
John Worth Chickerell

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Statutory Information". 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Alliance for Local Living". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Your Councillors by Party". Dorset Council. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Dorset councils merger gains government support". BBC News. 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Parliament passes Dorset councils merger plan despite legal challenge". BBC News. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  6. ^ "All for Dorset: An announcement..." Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via Facebook.
  7. ^ "New 'party of independents' ALL wants ordinary people to stand for election". Bournemouth Echo. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. ^ "View registration – The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Party registration decisions". electoralcommission.org.uk. p. April 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Meet your independent candidates for BCP elections". Alliance for Local Living. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Alderney & Bourne Valley". bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Oakdale". bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Alliance takes control of new BCP Council in Dorset". BBC News. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Vote of no confidence motion in BCP Council leader fails by slimmest of margins". Bournemouth Echo. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Passing of Cllr Pete Parrish". bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  16. ^ Service, Local Democracy Reporting (5 September 2020). "Councillor leaves ruling coalition over 'catalogue of catastrophic policy decisions'". Advertiser and Times. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  17. ^ "BCP Council leader ousted from role after vote of no confidence succeeds". Bournemouth Echo. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  18. ^ "BCP councillor appears in court over Just Stop Oil protest in London". Bournemouth Echo. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  19. ^ "BCP Council elections 2023: results at a glance by ward". Bournemouth Echo. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  20. ^ ""By not taking risks you won't change things": residents flock to launch of independent campaign". Dorset Echo. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  21. ^ "'If ever there was a county that needs change it's Dorset' – call for people to stand as independents". Bridport and Lyme Regis News. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  22. ^ "All for Dorset: ALL for Dorset's sixteen candidates are independently minded, but working together". Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via Facebook.
  23. ^ a b "All for Dorset: So now the dust has settled, how did your independent candidates fare in the election?". Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via Facebook.
  24. ^ "Your Councillors". moderngov.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Your Councillors". moderngov.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Your Councillors". moderngov.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.

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